Music
My Favourite Things about The Sound of Music
To celebrate the announcement that Sing-A-Long-A Sound of Music is back, we are counting down our 10 favourite songs from the classic musical.
If you are heading along to the event you will want to be sure you know the words (as if you don’t already!) so get practicing!
Captain von Trapp, Maria and all the children will be appearing on screen at the State Theatre in Sydney on February 27 and 28 and at Arts Centre Melbourne Hamer Hall on June 27 (1pm and 7.30pm performances). If you are a fan of The Sound of Music, this is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to see the film come to life while singing along with the whole audience. And don’t forget, people are encouraged to get dressed up and come along as their favourite characters.
Tickets for the State Theatre events are selling fast so click here to secure yours now! My Ticketmaster presale tickets for the event at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall are on sale from 9am February 3. General Public tickets go on sale from 9am February 11. Click here to purchase your tickets. We hope you enjoy our look at the best musical moments of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. Enjoy!
10. Something Good
Something Good is one of the most romantic moments of The Sound of Music. The song is a confession of love between Maria and Captain Georg von Trapp and is sung by the pair shortly after the Captain and the Baroness have their falling out. The song was written by Richard Rodgers for the film version of The Sound of Music and it is a prelude to the wedding scene. As you can see in the clip below, Maria and the Captain tell each other the moment they first knew they were in love before singing Something Good. It is a touching moment and one we had to include in our list of the best musical moments.
9. Sixteen Going on Seventeen
Who could forget this classic from The Sound of Music? The song features the eldest von Trapp daughter, Liesl, dancing around the gazebo with Rolfe, her love interest, who turns out to be a pretty bad guy. The most enduring memory of this song in The Sound of Music, is Liesl leaping from bench-to-bench around the gazebo. The song is our first glimpse at Liesl and Rolfe’s courtship and in it Rolfe expresses that he is more mature and needs to guide 16 year old Liesl as he is a year older. It is a fun part of The Sound of Music and leads to one of our other favourite moments – read below to see more.
8. The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music, which is sometimes mistaken as being called The Hills are Alive, is our first glimpse of the film of the same name. The title song was composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein and is sung by Maria as she dances around the rolling hills of Austria. The song is also our first insight into the personality of Maria, who is a novice at an Austrian abbey. Maria is lovable and kind, but is also whimsical and easily distracted. The Sound of Music is a beautiful song made all the more beautiful by the incredible voice of Julie Andrews.
7. The Lonely Goatherd
This is definitely one of the most fun scenes in The Sound of Music. Maria and the von Trapp children perform a puppet show for the Captian, the Baroness and Max Detweiller, which is set to The Lonely Goatherd. The song – and accompanying puppet show – tells the story of a lonely goatherd who falls in love with a girl in a pretty pink coat. The highlight of the song is the use of yodelling, which is traditional in the Austrian Alps where the film is set. It is a fun and whimsical song and definitely one of our favourite moments in The Sound of Music.
6. Climb Ev’ry Mountain
Climb Ev’ry Mountain is best known as the finale song of The Sound of Music, but it is also performed by Mother Abbess, who is a mentor to Maria. After Maria returns to the abbey, Mother Abbess sings the song to her. It is an inspirational tune and encourages Maria to return to the von Trapps. The finale version is played as the family walks the hills of Austria at the end of The Sound of Music. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote Climb Ev’ry Mountain and as such is has a lot of similarities to other famous Rodgers and Hammerstein songs such as You’ll Never Walk Alone from Carousel and Something Wonderful from The King and I.
5. Maria
This is such a fun song and one of our favourite moments in The Sound of Music. The nuns at the abbey are all complaining to Mother Abbess about Maria’s absentmindedness and whimsical nature. Of course, Mother Abbess is defending Maria, but the song comes soon after Maria realises she is late after singing The Sound of Music in the hills (see number 8). Toward the end of the song, Maria comes barrelling into the abbey and disturbs the nuns who are singing Maria. It is a really upbeat and humorous song, with fun lyrics and playful music and it is definitely one of our highlights.
4. So Long, Farewell
This song is performed by the seven von Trapp children at a party hosted by their father, Captain von Trapp. It is a fun song and in the film it is the children’s way of saying goodnight to the guests at the party. Each of the children has their own message which is coupled with group dancing and fun moments. It is a great musical moment in The Sound of Music and shows off the talent of the von Trapp children.
3. Edelweiss
Following the rediscovery of music in the von Trapp household, the von Trapp children encourage their father to play something. He performs Edelweiss and strums his guitar before Liesl joins in. As well as being a very sweet and touching song, the moment in The Sound of Music is significant as it highlights a breakthrough in the Captain’s relationship with his children following the death of their mother. It is the moment when love, fun and laughter return to the von Trapp household and of course Maria is the one they can thank for that!
2. Do-Re-Mi
Do-Re-Mi is a very special song as it is the moment when Maria teaches the von Trapp children to sing. Maria uses the song to teach the children the notes of the musical scale and attaches funny lines to each note. The song is one of the greatest moments of The Sound of Music as it is catchy and easy to sing, but also because the scenes that show the children learning to sing are bright, fun and playful and you get to see the sights of Austria. This song is a quintessential tune in The Sound of Music and a very deserving moment for our list.
1. My Favourite Things
My Favourite Things is such a fun and playful song and follows Liesl’s meeting with Rolfe (see number 9 for more). The scene is indicative of the close friendship Maria will be able to forge with Liesl and her siblings and sees the eight characters singing and dancing around Maria’s room during a thunderstorm. When you think of The Sound of Music, you think of My Favourite Things and for that reason is sits atop our list of Favourite Things from The Sound of Music.
